TEXANS FIND NEW TARGETS TO GO WITH VET JOHNSON

Draft pick from Clemson impresses with TD catch

The Houston Texans got a first look at first-round pick DeAndre Hopkins in their preseason opener Friday night.

But they also had some nice performances by other young receivers, giving them reason to believe that the group behind star Andre Johnson will be much stronger this season.

Johnson didn’t play against the Vikings, giving the young players a chance to shine. Lestar Jean, who is playing in his second season after missing the entire 2011 season with an injury, led the group with six receptions for 52 yards, and Hopkins had four catches for 52 yards. Keshawn Martin also drew coach Gary Kubiak’s attention by grabbing two passes for 30 yards.

“There were plenty of mistakes and we can get better,” Kubiak said. “But we have a lot of ability out there.”

Hopkins was the 27th pick overall out of Clemson and has impressed since the beginning of camp. The Texans were eager to see how he adjusted to game action, and he didn’t disappoint, making a leaping catch to snag a 34-yard touchdown pass in Houston’s 27-13 win over Minnesota.

Giants 18, Steelers 13

Eli Manning hit Victor Cruz for a 57-yard touchdown pass as New York beat host Pittsburgh in the preseason opener for both teams.

Manning finished 2 of 5 for 73 yards. The Giants scored on both drives the offensive starters were in the game.

Ben Roethlisberger completed 4 of 8 for 36 yards for Pittsburgh, leading the Steelers to a field goal on their second possession.

Broncos backs have company

An undrafted free agent has made Denver’s Week 1 roster in each of the last nine seasons. C.J. Anderson aims to keep the streak going.

The former California back has been the untold story of the Broncos’ training camp, toiling as he has behind second-round draft pick Montee Ball, second-year speedster and announced starter Ronnie Hillman and former first-rounder Knowshon Moreno.

Nobody’s talking about him thumping that trio anytime soon, but he’s certainly put himself into the mix for making the 53-man roster after rushing for a game-high 69 yards on 15 carries Thursday night in Denver’s 10-6 preseason win at San Francisco.

Although Anderson isn’t as assignment-sound or as consistent as the three backs ahead of him on the depth chart, Jacob Hester, Lance Ball and Jeremiah Johnson could find themselves the victims of Anderson’s solid summer if he has another preseason game or two like he did Thursday.

“We’re bringing him along,” offensive coordinator Adam Gase said. “(He’s a) younger guy that was an undrafted free agent; you can’t just throw him right in with what’s going on with the 1s.”

Around the league

Bengals receiver Andrew Hawkins will wear a cast for 10 days to try to heal his sprained left ankle, making it doubtful he’ll be ready for the season opener.

• Redskins rookie cornerback Phillip Thomas sprained his left foot in Thursday’s game. Doctors have ruled out a fracture or more serious injury for the fourth-round pick from Fresno State. Also, receiver Donte Stallworth suffered another setback in his uphill climb to make the roster at a crowded position. Stallworth aggravated the left hamstring and likely will miss the next preseason game.

• Jags linebacker Russell Allen (SDSU, Vista High) was wearing walking boot on his right ankle Saturday, while defensive end Ryan Davis was being evaluated for a possible concussion and tight end Isaiah Stanback was dealing with a quadriceps injury. All three were hurt in the exhibition game vs. Miami.